Today, millions of people around the world use wireless communications devices such as wireless telephones. Wireless phones are not just used for voice communications anymore. These days, wireless devices provide an incredible array of functions, and new technologies are continuously applied to provide feature and function rich devices at an incredible pace. Wireless devices store contact information, generate task lists, schedule appointments and set reminders, provide a built-in calculator, send or receive e-mail, access information such as news, entertainment, stock quotes from the Internet, play simple games, and may incorporate other devices such as PDAs, PCs, and GPS receivers.
Wireless communications devices are being turned into powerful communications tools that allow easy access to a host of mission critical corporate information. Lawyers may access information to construct a winning argument for an in-session court case. Real estate agents may communicate time critical information to their clients on the road as a new residential listing becomes available on the market. Officers in the public safety sector, may access criminal information related to the pursuit of a suspect. Fleet service corporations may track the progress of their services by monitoring the locations of their vehicles. In general, professionals in many vertical markets use wireless voice and data communications as a significant business tool.
Of the different mobile communications systems in the world, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) accounts for a majority of the world's digital mobile phones. One of its key strengths is its international roaming capability, giving consumers service in many different countries. In a GSM network, a subscriber identity module (SIM) card is inserted into a GSM phone to identify a subscriber and provide keys and ciphering algorithms required to encrypt the voice and data transmitted from a GSM phone. A SIM card has a memory and a processor enabling it to process algorithms used in the signal encryption process. Unfortunately, there are drawbacks of using such SIM cards. Each wireless communication device must have a SIM card in order for it to operate. Often, a subscriber will need multiple SIM cards to operate all his devices.
As a result of this requirement, a subscriber will often have multiple billing accounts associated with each SIM card. The subscriber may be required to manage a number of billing statements associated with each SIM card. Further, the process of obtaining a new SIM card may be time consuming.
Another issue relates to the inability of consolidating airtime usage of multiple devices into a single account. The use of separate accounts results in airtime rates that are collectively higher than that obtained when a single plan is used to cover usage of all devices.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.